Motorsports
NASCAR Results Today: Michigan – Denny Hamlin stuns rivals as William Byron suffers late fuel disaster
Joe Gibbs Racing star Denny Hamlin secured his third NASCAR Cup Series victory of the season on Sunday night after a thrilling late battle at Michigan International Speedway.
With fuel-saving heavily at play in the latter stages of the FireKeepers Casino 400, heading into the final 15 laps, Carson Hocevar was out in the lead in the No. 77 and looking like having a serious chance of picking up his first win in the series. However, a blown tire suddenly cast him out of contention, with Hamlin and William Byron in the No. 24 going on to have an exciting battle in the final laps.
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After multiple attempts to take the lead were met with blocks from Byron, Hamlin eventually passed him with five laps to go, although the No. 24 continued to fight hard on the outside until the No. 11 eventually cleared him a lap later.
Byron eventually ran out of fuel, forced to head down pit road just ahead of the white flag, with Hamlin having enough to get across the line (and do a few doughnuts post-race) to take his third victory at Michigan International Speedway.
In doing so, the 44-year-old became only the 10th driver to win a Cup Series race after hitting the 700-race milestone. It is also Hamlin’s 57th Cup Series win overall, making him Joe Gibbs Racing’s most-winningest driver ever, a record he previously held alongside Kyle Busch (56 wins).
With Byron’s fuel issue, he eventually finished 28th, with Chris Buescher coming home in second, having previously won in stage two. Ty Gibbs, Bubba Wallace and Kyle Larson rounded out the top five.
Finally, it feels prudent to say that Alex Bowman has been evaluated and released from the infield care center, as confirmed by NASCAR, after his heavy wreck saw the race red-flagged for a period earlier during stage two.
With that said, let’s take a look at the race results in full!
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NASCAR Cup Series: Who won the Michigan race today?
| Pos | Driver | Car No | Team |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Denny Hamlin | 11 | Joe Gibbs Racing Toyota |
| 2 | Chris Buescher | 17 | RFK Racing Ford |
| 3 | Ty Gibbs | 54 | Joe Gibbs Racing Toyota |
| 4 | Bubba Wallace | 23 | 23XI Racing Toyota |
| 5 | Kyle Larson | 5 | Hendrick Motorsports Chevrolet |
| 6 | Ross Chastain | 1 | Trackhouse Racing Chevrolet |
| 7 | Zane Smith | 38 | Front Row Motorsports Ford |
| 8 | Kyle Busch | 8 | Richard Childress Racing Chevrolet |
| 9 | Ryan Preece | 60 | RFK Racing Ford |
| 10 | Brad Keselowski | 6 | RFK Racing Ford |
| 11 | Erik Jones | 43 | Legacy Motor Club Toyota |
| 12 | Josh Berry | 21 | Wood Brothers Racing Ford |
| 13 | Tyler Reddick | 45 | 23XI Racing Toyota |
| 14 | Daniel Suárez | 99 | Trackhouse Racing Chevrolet |
| 15 | Chase Elliott | 9 | Hendrick Motorsports Chevrolet |
| 16 | Christopher Bell | 20 | Joe Gibbs Racing Toyota |
| 17 | AJ Allmendinger | 16 | Kaulig Racing Chevrolet |
| 18 | Shane van Gisbergen | 88 | Trackhouse Racing Chevrolet |
| 19 | Austin Dillon | 3 | Richard Childress Racing Chevrolet |
| 20 | Ricky Stenhouse Jr. | 47 | HYAK Motorsports Chevrolet |
| 21 | Justin Haley | 7 | Spire Motorsports Chevrolet |
| 22 | Joey Logano | 22 | Team Penske Ford |
| 23 | Chase Briscoe | 19 | Joe Gibbs Racing Toyota |
| 24 | Ty Dillon | 10 | Kaulig Racing Chevrolet |
| 25 | Riley Herbst | 35 | 23XI Racing Toyota |
| 26 | Cody Ware | 51 | Rick Ware Racing Ford |
| 27 | Noah Gragson | 4 | Front Row Motorsports Ford |
| 28 | William Byron | 24 | Hendrick Motorsports Chevrolet |
| 29 | Carson Hocevar | 77 | Spire Motorsports Chevrolet |
| 30 | Michael McDowell | 71 | Spire Motorsports Chevrolet |
| 31 | Austin Cindric | 2 | Team Penske Ford |
| 32 | Ryan Blaney | 12 | Team Penske Ford |
| 33 | Todd Gilliland | 34 | Front Row Motorsports Ford |
| 34 | John Hunter Nemechek | 42 | Legacy Motor Club Toyota |
| 35 | Cole Custer | 41 | Haas Factory Team Ford |
| 36 | Alex Bowman | 48 | Hendrick Motorsports Chevrolet |
NOTE: The Xfinity Fastest Lap award went to William Byron in the No. 24 with a time of 37.30 seconds.
NASCAR Cup Series: Michigan Stage 2 results
| Pos | Driver | Car No | Team |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | William Byron | 24 | Hendrick Motorsports Chevrolet |
| 2 | Austin Cindric | 2 | Team Penske Ford |
| 3 | Carson Hocevar | 77 | Spire Motorsports Chevrolet |
| 4 | Tyler Reddick | 45 | 23XI Racing Toyota |
| 5 | Ross Chastain | 1 | Trackhouse Racing Chevrolet |
| 6 | Ryan Preece | 60 | RFK Racing Ford |
| 7 | Bubba Wallace | 23 | 23XI Racing Toyota |
| 8 | Denny Hamlin | 11 | Joe Gibbs Racing Toyota |
| 9 | Ty Dillon | 10 | Kaulig Racing Chevrolet |
| 10 | Erik Jones | 43 | Legacy Motor Club Toyota |
NASCAR Cup Series: Michigan Stage 1 results
| Pos | Driver | Car No | Team |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Chris Buescher | 17 | RFK Racing Ford |
| 2 | William Byron | 24 | Hendrick Motorsports Chevrolet |
| 3 | Denny Hamlin | 11 | Joe Gibbs Racing Toyota |
| 4 | Chase Briscoe | 19 | Joe Gibbs Racing Toyota |
| 5 | Josh Berry | 21 | Wood Brothers Racing Ford |
| 6 | Ryan Blaney | 12 | Team Penske Ford |
| 7 | Kyle Larson | 5 | Hendrick Motorsports Chevrolet |
| 8 | Bubba Wallace | 23 | 23XI Racing Toyota |
| 9 | Kyle Busch | 8 | Richard Childress Racing Chevrolet |
| 10 | Carson Hocevar | 77 | Spire Motorsports Chevrolet |
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